Place
What will become of historic property in South St. Pete?
The City of St. Petersburg has received three proposals to create affordable housing at the former site of a cultural landmark along 22nd Street South, colloquially known as the Deuces.
The now-vacant, .68-acre property at 951 22nd St. S. was once home to several African American-owned businesses during the city’s Jim Crow era. The Royal Hotel served Black professional baseball players and entertainers who headlined the Manhattan Casino, less than a quarter of a mile north.
Hurricane Irma destroyed what was known as the Merriwether Building in September 2017, eight years shy of its centennial birthday. According to Pinellas County property records, the city acquired the property from Elihu Brayboy for $100 in 2023.
Officials requested redevelopment proposals in August that “honor the community’s heritage and inspire equitable partnerships among small, minority and women-owned businesses” through public-private partnerships. Mayor Ken Welch said he eagerly anticipates hearing his staff’s recommendation for a developer, which includes a group led by Brayboy.
“I think there are some great opportunities to highlight the legacy of the Deuces and meet some current needs our community has, and to do it from a lens of inclusion on that block,” Welch told the Catalyst. “We want to make sure progress is inclusive, and the entire community gets to participate in that.”
Here are the three proposals:
Making Opportunities Materialize Inc.
Brayboy, a South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) resident and owner of the now-gone Chief’s Creole Café, has launched Making Opportunities Materialize Inc. (MOM). The nonprofit group proposed a four-story, 18-unit condo building at the site.
The $6.5 million project, dubbed the Tall Cotton Initiative, would provide affordable homeownership opportunities and 3,000 square feet of retail space with a laundromat and fresh produce store. The proposal noted the area median income (AMI) is just $35,000 “compared to $61,000 in the broader city.”
MOM would purchase the property for $885,000. The 18 condos – Gallery Lofts – would encompass 250 to 800 square feet and sell for $180,000 to $320,000.
The nonprofit St. Pete Free Clinic would operate the proposed neighborhood market. MOM proposes placing the property in a community land trust to ensure it is never resold, has long-term affordability and that it remains a community benefit.
“Our project will serve the targeted population, including low-income individuals, elderly residents and families negatively impacted by the Gas Plant area redevelopment,” Brayboy wrote. “We are dedicated to achieving the City’s objectives for this property …”
Elihu Brayboy, a local community leader and restaurateur, proposed the Gallery Lofts.
Alexander Goshen and Goode Van Slyke Architecture
Fort Lauderdale-based Alexander Goshen and development partner Goode Van Slyke Architecture, a certified Minority Business Enterprise, proposed a $9.36 million project with 26 housing units. The developer would dedicate 10 apartments to those earning up to 80% of the AMI and prioritize veterans.
The group proposed a 99-year ground lease at $1 annually and pledged to build a neighborhood market with fresh and healthy food to help mitigate the lack of nearby options. The building’s upper levels would feature a large mural that symbolizes “the strong relationship between the residents and the art-rich district.”
The apartments would average 750 square feet and sit atop a 3,077-square-foot lobby and 9,049 square feet of retail space. Alexander Goshen, part of a team redeveloping the Tomlinson Building in downtown St. Petersburg, also proposed including an “innovative Hydronic Container Farming system” to ensure a “steady supply” of healthy food options throughout the year.
“Additionally, the development may offer new affordable commercial spaces for local entrepreneurs in Pinellas County, welcoming opportunities for community-benefitting amenities, such as a coffee shop workspace, and other services that enhance the neighborhood’s vibrancy and support small business growth,” wrote the developers.
Alexander Goshen’s development would feature an urban market with fresh produce.
Green Mills Group
Fort Lauderdale-based Green Mills Group proposed Heritage Grove, a 54-unit development with income restrictions between 30% and 80% of the AMI. The $20 million project would feature a community clubhouse, game room and business center.
The developer pledged to partner with the St. Pete Greenhouse, an entrepreneurial hub, to ensure minority business owners lease two or three retail bays that encompass up to 2,500 square feet. “We welcome the City’s guidance on additional initiatives that could amplify the impact of these efforts, ensuring maximum benefit to the local community,” states the proposal.
Green Mills Group, the development team behind St. Peterburg’s Burlington Post and Burlington Place affordable housing projects, proposed a 99-year ground lease totaling $885,000. The firm offered to give the city a 24% share of residual revenue to reinvest in the surrounding area.
“The architectural design of Heritage Grove will reflect the history of the Deuces Live District, incorporating cultural motifs and materials that resonate with the community’s identity,” wrote Green Mills Group. “We plan to commission a local artist to create a mural that reflects the district’s African American heritage … The facade and public spaces will incorporate materials and patterns inspired by African textiles, while interior common areas will feature local art and historical photographs honoring the corridor’s past.”
Green Mills Group proposed Heritage Groves.
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
December 31, 2024at7:56 pm
I agree with Ms. Scruggs. There is a house on 7th Avenue South across from Campbell Park elem. school that listed for over $700,000. Citrus Grove, a low income housing development is up the street at 7th Ave and 16th St. So. These proposals do Not make sense to me. The AMI in that area is Not $35,000 as was stated in one of the proposals. Very few professional folk live in that area. This is a minimum wage area of about $12 an hr plus .. Jordan Park, a low income housing project is in the rear and the Legacy, a retirement building for age 62 and over is there also,. I am against all 3 proposals. Talk to the folk that live in the neighborhood and find out what they believe would work there. 16th Street South to 28th Street South and 5th Avenue South to 18th Avenue South.
David getchell
December 31, 2024at8:35 am
The city of st pete needs to change zoning issues of nt area and allow the the south to grow as the north 13 Ave north has many new projects for housing and up scale life style why should the south be hindered from that form of life nt zones in the south limit growth base on a 1920 growth plan to have its resdendet take public buses of walk ….these day are base on yrs or secretion we not to thing are affircan or poor people or those who need full care for life …we need to have the same right to develop as it’s neibro down town….is this great city limiting its veiw from Upper floors to only the very rich…now that is desrimagartion to the working class people…not only Africans all working classes we are 2025 yet we still bleed blood of affrica all people must be though of the south not only has a large African neibrors but there are ethnic there it time to walk away from the 1920s zoning rule and let this city grow this great city has water beiw any where if you get high enough if you bought see the veiw from st newest high risers growth will happend
Zoning need to get out of the past and limit grow to area of st pete that where only design for affircan limiting there ability to grow…non armerican are give the right to second only though who push foward can achive….it not an an easy task yet can be achived….not all Americans wish to sluppy jobs so those who choose to work should also have the options to own or rent though are great city….do not keep st pete sergarated change zoning they are limiting growth in the south st pete neibrohood
. control building rules!!!! And hight of buiding. Drivways only 1 car avible to cross the side walk the zoning..nt-1and all nt zone area of this great city Allow all of the city to grow within all of its city limits
Let veiw the sea from are home
If you want to devolve the south grow like down town
There are very good programs use them but to only give the very few a plave to live and are leaving from the city then go big or go home let’s see the veiw from the top too the south is not poor there are poor people all though out are great city…sergation should be set aside and growth should be on the for front
750 square foot apt is only big enough for a singal man or women
Growth needs space
You want to give a home give them 1250 squar ft for a family to grow up in and feed growth into are great city ..if you want to make it for the poor there are city programs avible for the poor to get asst
I do not like the fact that there is not enough large livable space in any of those unit we are not building a had out here people are looking for a home not a shoe box with govrrment kick backs
S
December 31, 2024at2:08 am
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch recently celebrated the opening of a new public housing project for low-income seniors, featuring beautiful two-bedroom apartments that will rent for just $350 a month. In a video posted on the city’s Facebook page, the Mayor made a specific claim: that these units would go to people born in St. Petersburg or those who have lived here for a long time. On the surface, this might sound like a win for affordable housing, but the reality is far more complicated—and deeply troubling.
First, there’s a major legal issue with prioritizing locals for this subsidized housing. Federal, state, and local housing laws prohibit discrimination based on where someone was born or how long they’ve lived in an area. In fact, I’m pretty sure that prioritizing housing in this way is outright illegal. Legally, these units cannot be restricted to longtime St. Petersburg residents, despite the Mayor’s claim. In practice, anyone who meets the income requirements—whether they’re from this city, another part of Florida, or out of state—has an equal chance of securing these apartments. This means the very people the Mayor said the project was designed to help may see no actual preference. Did the Mayor not know this? Or was he simply telling people what they wanted to hear, knowing the opposite was true?
Second, there’s a deeper issue: the flawed economics of government-subsidized housing. While this project is being sold as a solution to housing affordability, it actually makes the city less affordable for everyone else. Here’s why:
1. Subsidized Housing Shifts Costs to Taxpayers:
The money to build and maintain these projects doesn’t come out of thin air—it’s funded by property taxes. That means higher taxes for everyone in St. Petersburg, from homeowners to business owners to renters. Property owners pass these costs onto renters, and businesses raise prices to cover their increased expenses, creating a ripple effect that makes living in the city more expensive overall.
2. It Distorts the Housing Market:
By subsidizing housing, the government creates artificial demand and misallocates resources. Developers focus on projects that qualify for subsidies instead of addressing broader market needs. This worsens the underlying problem: a lack of housing supply, which drives up costs for everyone else trying to live in the city.
3. It Doesn’t Address Supply and Demand:
Housing affordability is ultimately about balancing supply and demand. The only sustainable way to lower costs is to build more housing at all price points. Government-subsidized projects like this don’t solve the supply issue; they just shift the financial burden to taxpayers while creating the illusion of affordability.
The result? Rising property taxes, higher costs for renters, and a city that becomes less affordable for the average resident—all to fund a project that might not even benefit the locals it was supposedly designed to help.
This raises serious questions about priorities and transparency. How do you think taxpayers would feel if they knew their money is subsidizing housing for people with no connection to this area? And why is the Mayor promoting a project in a way that conflicts with basic legal and economic realities?
Questions for Mayor Welch:
1. Is it the law that this St. Petersburg taxpayer-subsidized housing can’t prioritize residents based upon their being born here or that they’ve lived here a long time?
2. Why did you claim in your video that these apartments would be available to people born in St. Petersburg or who have lived here a long time, when that appears to be illegal?
3. How do you justify raising property taxes and the cost of living for everyone else in the city to subsidize this project?
4. Do you believe that St. Petersburg taxpayers are unaware of basic economics or the law?
5. Do you think taxpayers would feel the same way about this project if they understood it might mostly benefit people with no ties to St. Petersburg?
6. If the project is only going to help people born here or who have lived here a long time, does that mean people who moved here three years ago and have been paying property taxes ever since won’t be considered for this taxpayer-subsidized housing?
Mayor Welch, if I have any of this wrong, please feel free to respond. But from what I can see, this project is another example of government spending that fails to deliver what it promises, leaving the city’s residents to bear the real costs.
Maria Scruggs
December 30, 2024at10:45 pm
The city of St. Petersburg need to place a moratorium on all development in south St. Petersburg. The city and particularly the predominantly African community is being absorbed by developers loading up the community with housing African people won’t be able to afford or rent. The promises of token hand outs will do nothing to move the political, economic, educational
or health outcome needle in the African community. The only movement African people will see is the continued mass exodus to Riverview and other surrounding communities in Hillsborough, Manatee and Pasco Counties.